Kyra Collier leans back in a chair sitting on the Jack Stephens Center's main concourse and crosses her arms to mimic her father.
Her father, Craig, is quiet during her games. You won't hear him shouting or hollering in support of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock's leading scorer.
"He's the most chill person ever," Collier said. "You would never know that was my dad."
Collier knows this because her father is at so many games and has been for so long. Her parents -- including her mother, Karen -- will often travel to watch their daughter and UALR on the road.
The travel is not nearly as much of a burden because Collier's home games are, well, truly at home.
Collier, a junior shooting guard from North Little Rock, has sat atop the Trojans' statistics throughout the 2018-19 season as their leading scorer with 14.2 points per game.
"I love being at home," said Collier, who has scored in double figures in 11 consecutive games.
"It was big for me to be able to play in front of my family. My dad being here, that's my guy. I'm a daddy's girl."
In UALR's first game this season, a 69-58 victory at Louisiana Tech on Nov. 9, Collier posted a career-high 31 points, UALR's first 30-point performance since Taylor Gault's 31 points against Oral Roberts on Nov. 21, 2012.
The Trojans' largest individual scoring output of the season was the first of many superb performances for Collier. In five Sun Belt games, she has scored 12, 17, 14, 20 and finally 16 points in Thursday's 62-47 victory against Texas State.
If the Trojans (8-8, 4-1 Sun Belt Conference) are going to fulfill their preseason expectation as Sun Belt favorites, they will need Collier to produce similar success.
"I knew she had to," UALR Coach Joe Foley said. "If we were going to be any good, I knew she had to. She's one of those that knows the game. That's something that you can't teach. She's got a knack for knowing where to be. She's one of them."
Collier averaged 7.2 ppg as a freshman in 28.4 minutes per game, but she fell to 5.5 ppg in 18.6 mpg as a sophomore as she battled injuries and playing in just 17 games.
Collier credits an offseason jammed full of shooting workouts with former UALR guard Sharde Collins -- the 2016-17 Sun Belt Player of the Year who was a senior when Collier was a freshman -- as part of the reason for her breakout offensive year.
The other half of Collier's offensive leap is harder to notice.
"She's a smart player," Foley said.
Much of UALR's perimeter scoring comes from Collier flying around off-ball screens and settling into smooth, mid-range jump shots, one of her offensive staples.
She sees the floor well, Foley said, and reacts accordingly.
"Coaches growing up have always told me that I had a natural instinct for understanding things that's going on that a lot of people don't see or understand," Collier said. "So it's been pretty natural for me."
Foley turned Collier loose after seeing advancements in her comprehension of how to become an elite scorer. She has thrived ever since.
"If you're shooting the ball well in practice, then he'll give you the green light," Collier said. "Once he could see that I could read screens to get my shot off, he put that confidence in me."
"She's doing it so far," Foley said.
Today’s game
UALR WOMEN VS. TEXAS-ARLINGTON
WHEN 3 p.m.
WHERE Jack Stephens Center, Little Rock
RECORDS UALR 8-8, 4-1 Sun Belt Conference; Texas-Arlington 12-4, 4-1
SERIES UALR leads 8-2.
RADIO KARN-AM, 920, in Little Rock
INTERNET ESPN-Plus
At a glance
UALR WOMEN’S SCHEDULE (8-8, 4-1 SUN BELT)
DATE OPPONENT TIME/RESULT
Nov. 9 at Louisiana Tech W, 69-58
Nov. 14 Florida Atlantic W, 61-38
Nov. 17 Rice L, 79-65
Nov. 20 Texas A&M L, 61-40
Nov. 25 at LSU L, 60-45
Nov. 28 Mississippi State L, 98-63
Dec. 1 W. Kentucky L, 68-56
Dec. 8 Kansas State L, 53-47
Dec. 17 at Tulsa W, 63-53
Dec. 21 at Memphis W, 63-60
Dec. 30 at Missouri State L, 48-44
Jan. 3 La.-Monroe* W, 63-44
Jan. 5 La.-Lafayette* W, 62-48
Jan. 10 at Troy* L, 71-66
Jan. 12 at South Alabama* W, 65-42
Jan. 17 Texas State* W, 62-47
Today Texas-Arlington* 3 p.m.
Jan. 24 at Coastal Carolina* 5 p.m.
Jan. 26 at Appalachian State* 1 p.m.
Feb. 2 Arkansas State* 3 p.m.
Feb. 7 Troy* 6:30 p.m.
Feb. 9 South Alabama* 3 p.m.
Feb. 14 at Texas-Arlington* 7 p.m.
Feb. 16 at Texas State* 2 p.m.
Feb. 23 at Arkansas State* 3 p.m.
Feb. 28 Georgia Southern* 11:30 a.m.
Mar. 2 Georgia State* 3 p.m.
Mar. 7 at La.-Lafayette* 6:30 p.m
Mar. 9 at La.-Monroe* 2 p.m.
Mar. 11-16 at SBC Tournament, New Orleans
*Sun Belt game
Sports on 01/19/2019